Vapor dispenser



March 11, 1958 w, L FEVRE 2,826,452

VAPOR DISPENSER Filed June 15. 1956 United States Patent Ofiice 2,826,452 Patented Mar. 11, 1958 VAPOR DISPENSER Herbert W. Le Fevre, Oklahoma City, Okla. Application June 15, 1956, Serial No. 591,714 2 Claims. (Cl. 299-20) This invention relates to a vapor dispenser from which vapor is adapted to issue and to a method of dispensing vapor and delivering it to a given expanse.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vapor dispensing method and means wherein a vapor is evolved from a liquid within a container to produce a high concentration of the vapor within the vapor region of the container and from which the vapor is Withdrawn through a restricted vapor-metering passage of the container by aspiration.

The vapor dispenser of the a container for a quantity of example, a liquid deodorant. with a relatively large opening through which the vaporevolving liquid and a wick are introduced. A removable cap is applied to this opening and a restricted vapormetering passage is formed in the cap for issuing the vapor evolved in the vapor region of the container between the level of the liquid and the restricted passage in the cap. When not in use, the restricted passage may be covered by a separate cap.

in use, the restricted vapor-metering passage is placed in communication with a conduit through which a stream of air is blown, and the flow of air across the vapormetering passage draws the evolved vapor from the vapor region of the container and carries the vapor with it through the conduit toward its ultimate destination. If, for example, the vapor dispensed is a deodorizing vapor, the vapor dispenser may be inserted within an air conditioning conduit, that is to say, a conduit through which either warm or cool air is blown, and the deodorizing vapor may be carried with the moving air stream into the room or rooms which are to be conditioned by the air stream.

For a complete understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an illustrative view showing the vapor dispenser of the present invention inserted within an air conditioning conduit;

Figure 2 is an elevation view of the vapor dispenser shown in cross-section;

Figure 3 is an elevation view of the vapor dispenser with the cap removed and the wick protruding from the container;

Figure 4 is a. plan view of the vapor dispenser with the cap covering the restricted passage removed; and

Figure 5 is an elevation view of the cap assembly of the vapor dispenser.

Referring to the drawings, the vapor dispenser of the present invention comprises a container for a vaporevolving liquid 11, preferably a liquid from which a deodorizing vapor is evolved. A wick 12 supported on a wire wick-holder 13 is also accommodated within the container 10.

The vapor-evolving liquid and the wick and wickholder may be introduced into the container through the opening 10a in the neck 10b of the container. The

present invention provides a vapor-evolving liquid, for The container is provided neck 10b is threaded to receive a cap 14 thereon. A threaded boss 15 is integrally formed on the top surface of the cap 14, and a restricted vapor-metering passage 16 is formed centrally through the cap 14 and the boss 15. A threaded cap 17 is adapted to be screwed onto the boss 15 to cover the passage 16 when the vapor dispenser is not in use.

In use, as best shown in Figure 1, the vapor dispenser is inserted, with the cap 17 removed, within an air conditioning conduit C through which a stream of air is blown.

Vapor is evolved from the liquid 11 and from the surface of the wick 12 to produce a high concentration of vapor within the region of the container between the level of the liquid and the restricted passage 16, said region being hereinafter referred to as a vapor chamber, and this evolved vapor is drawn by aspiration through the restricted vapor-metering passage 16 by the flow of the air stream through the conduit C.

It is, of course, desirable that the vapor be evolved at a sufilciently rapid rate to supply the requirements of the space to he air conditioned and, further, that this rate of supply be relatively independent of the level of the liquid within the container. Accordingly, it is desirable that the surface of the Wick projecting above the level of the liquid should present an adequate vaporevolving area. Although the wick 12 and wick-holder 13 may take various forms, in the form illustrated in the drawing the wick is a cotton mass, and it. is supported on an inverted U-shaped wire holder. The extreme lower ends 1301 of the wire holder flare outwardly to engage the tapered portion of the container which forms the neck 1011. Thus, for example, the Wick may be adjusted to the position shown in Figure 3 when the cap 14 is removed and it is desired to permit the vapor to issue directly into a room or other space. Also, the upper ends of the legs of the wire holder are bent to form constrictions 13b which help to define the uppermost position of the wick on the wire holder. Preferably, the upper end of the wick-holder is free of the wick to separate the wick from the inner end of the vapor-metering passage 16.

The separation between the upper end of the Wick and the entrance of the vapor-metering passage provides an unobstructed path of flow for the evolved vapor from the vapor region or chamber above the liquid to the vapor-metering passage 16. In addition, this separation between the upper end of the wick and the passage 16 permits the holder to be grasped conveniently when the cap 14 is removed to facilitate the adjustment of the wick-holder to the position shown in Figure 3.

The vapor dispenser of the present invention may also be utilized, if desired, for dispensing droplets of the liquid by inverting the dispenser and shaking it, the droplets being dispensed through the restricted passage 16. In this case, the separation between the upper ends of the wick and wick-holder prevents the wick from being displaced within the container by gravity and covering the inner end of the passage 16.

When the air blower is turned oil, the restricted passage 16 permits very little vapor to escape, with the result that an overload is built up in the vapor region or chamber above the liquid. Hence, when the air blower is turned on, vapor is at first dispensed more rapidly than in normal operation, giving ofi about twenty times the normal amount of vapor for the first two minutes. Thereafter, it cool air is blown through the conduit, the decrease in temperature reduces the rate of vaporization of the liquid. This is a desirable effect, particularly when the space to be deodorized is confined, for example, an automobile.

The invention has been shown in a single preferred form and by way of example only, and obviously many ariations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, instead of placing the container bodily in the conduit C, the outer cap may be threaded to permit it to be screwed into an opening in the conduit. The invention, therefore, is not to be limited to any'specified form or embodiment except in so far as such limitations are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A vapor dispenser for introducing a vapor into a conduit through which a stream of air flows comprising a container for a vapor-evolving liquid, an opening in the upper end thereof, a vapor chamber defined within the container between the liquid level of the vapor-evolving liquid and the opening in the container, a wick adjustable within the container, saidwick providing a vapor-evolving surface in the vapor chamber, a cap threadably received on the upper end of the container, a threaded boss formed integrally on the cap extending upwardly therefrom, a cap threadable-onto the boss, and a restricted vapor-metering passage through the first-mentioned cap and the boss whereby, when the second-mentioned cap is removed, vapor is drawn from the vapor chamber of the container through the vapor-metering passage by the moving stream of air in the conduit.

2. A vapor dispenser comprising a container for a vapor-evolving liquid, an opening in the upper end thereof,

a vapor chamber defined within the container between the liquid level of the vapor-evolving liquid and the opening in the container, a wick within the container, a wire wick-holder, the upper end thereof being free of the wick to provide an unobstructed space at the upper end of the vapor chamber, a cap threadably received on the upper open end of the container, a threaded boss formed integrally on the cap and extending upwardly therefrom, a cap threadably received on the boss, and a restricted vapor-metering passage through the first-mentioned cap and the boss communicating with the upper end of the vapor chamber through which vapor may be dispensed in the upright position of the container when the secondmentioned cap is removed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 472,133 Merrill Apr. 5, 1892 1,132,246 Du Commun Mar. 16, 1915 1,687,830 Clevenger Oct. 16, 1928 2,452,424 Bell Oct. 26, 1948 2,469,656 Lienert May 10, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 775,248 France Oct. 8, 1934 62,921 Norway Oct. 7, 1940 

